Roads and paths were damaged in Outaouais and eastern Ontario by heavy rain on Friday.
In Chelsea, in Outaouais, the situation is such that the Municipality declared a state of emergency for the next 48 hours on Saturday morning.
Four areas are landlocked due to roads cut by the rain. These are Hollow Glen, Juniper, Lac-Meech and Fleury, Chelsea Mayor Pierre Guénard said Friday evening in a telephone interview with Radio-Canada.
I declared a state of emergency given the extent of the damage affecting our municipal infrastructure across the territory, added the mayor in an interview on Saturday morning.
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Chelsea Mayor Pierre Guénard (File photo)
Photo : Radio-Canada
Mr. Guénard reports that public works teams worked hard Friday evening to be able to at least make the roads accessible with temporary work.
When the roads were completely closed and cut off and people were trapped, our firefighters went to see people in different areas, going door to door, says the mayor of Chelsea.
First responders used rowboats to check on the stranded residents, he continued.
We must be able to intervene quickly for the safety of our residents, adds Pierre Guénard. Emergency measures allow us to at least be able to seek external help by renting equipment, ordering fill, materials to be able to make the roads at least accessible.
It’s going to be a huge job to repair all our infrastructure.
A quote from Pierre Guénard, Mayor of Chelsea
The mayor said the cost of repairing and rebuilding infrastructure damaged by the rain could run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Other roads closed
The National Capital Commission (NCC) indicated in an Instagram post that the Gatineau, Champlain and Fortune parkway network in Gatineau Park is closed to all visitors until further notice for safety reasons.
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Elsewhere in Outaouais, the municipalities of Pontiac and Val-des-Monts are among those reporting road closures.
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In Ottawa, the city reports that the rain caused minor damage, except in the western part of the municipality. It is said to be significant in parts of West Carleton and Kanata, according to Beth Gooding, general manager of emergency and protective services for the City of Ottawa.
The rain also caused road closures in Gatineau, particularly near Lorrain Boulevard, north of Highway 50.
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Flooding was also reported in the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) community of Akwesasne, which straddles the borders of Ontario, Quebec and New York State.
According to Environment Canada, more than 100 mm of rain has accumulated in Papineauville. Gatineau received between 70 and 100 mm of rain, while nearly 75 mm fell in Ottawa and 82 mm in Maniwaki.
With information from Amadou Barry and Charlotte Tremblay
